Two Years and Three Months

"Die, you little bastard."

Hemon cursed viciously inwardly.

He had not held back at all with this punch, exerting nearly every ounce of strength he had. Even the air let out a sonic boom from the force.

The punch came crashing down from above toward Xiao Ling's head, its violent momentum like Mount Tai bearing down on him.

The surrounding mercenaries watching the scene covered their faces and sighed. They knew Hemon's arrogance and tyranny all too well. This bastard was always doing shady things, and his reputation in Qingshan Town was rotten to the core.

"Fuck! This guy really has become more and more pathetic. He's hitting a kid that hard, and he even used his signature Yellow-tier high-grade Dou Technique, Lion Mountain Seal?"

"Yeah! Exactly..."

"I'd say that young man is probably done for this time. If he gets another life, I hope he remembers not to stick his neck out before he has the strength..."

As the people around them discussed in all sorts of ways, Qingxin, who was leaning against Xiao Ling's chest, turned pale. She raised her cold, pretty face and looked guiltily at the youth before her.

"Brother Ling Xiao, I... I'm sorry..."

Hearing this, Hemon, who had already reached them, flew into a rage and snarled.

"You little bitch. Go die with your lover!!"

With that, the Lion Mountain Seal he unleashed with all his strength descended upon the two of them.

Bang!

As a muffled impact rang out, the mercenaries who had been preparing to leave all revealed shocked expressions.

They saw the White-robed Youth block Hemon's iron fist with a single palm, effortlessly dissipating the Lion Mountain Seal.

"This..."

The immense reversal before their eyes was hard enough for them to believe, let alone Hemon himself, whose face was filled with bewilderment.

He stared at the White-robed Youth before him. The other party looked so frail that Hemon found it hard to believe what he was seeing.

Then he exerted every ounce of strength he had once more, circulating the Dou Qi within his body at full force as he tried to break free from the youth's palm.

Yet reality gave him a resounding slap in the face. No matter how he struggled, the White-robed Youth's hand did not move in the slightest.

At that moment, Hemon knew he had kicked an iron plate this time. The other party was clearly the sort to play the pig to eat the tiger, and he deeply regretted his impulsiveness.

Especially that look in the other party's eyes, as though he were prey.

It filled his heart with fear... But he did not want to die, so he shouted harshly.

"L-Lord Ling Xiao, you can't kill me! I'm the third captain of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Our commander is a Da Dou Shi! If you kill me, our commander will never let you go."

The moment those words came out, they caused an uproar in the surroundings. The burly mercenaries all revealed looks of contempt.

"Fuck! If you've got guts, then don't beg for mercy."

Though they said that, their gazes toward the White-robed Youth were equally complicated—shock, awe, respect, and fear, among other emotions.

After all, the other party was simply too outrageous. He looked only eleven or twelve years old, yet he possessed strength at least at the level of a Da Dou Shi.

How could they not be stunned?

Even if he had started cultivating inside his mother's womb, he could not have advanced this quickly, could he?

Hearing that, Xiao Ling raised his still youthful face and revealed a cold smile. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he lifted his foot and kicked Hemon in the knee.

A crack sounded on the spot. The pain made Hemon let out a pig-slaughtering scream as his entire body dropped to its knees.

Bang!

A violent crash rang out. Cracks like a spiderweb spread beneath Hemon's knees, sending chills through the surrounding mercenaries. They all swore that they must never provoke the girl named Qingxin in the future.

Looking at Hemon, who had been so arrogant just moments ago but was now kneeling at his feet like a dead dog, Xiao Ling could only say that showing off felt really damn good.

No wonder Xiao Yan from the original story had loved showing off in front of others so much at the beginning.

Being admired by others felt that good...

But he had not come here today to show off. Compared to showing off and slapping faces, he preferred lifespan.

Thinking this, Xiao Ling silently said in his heart, System, help me conceal the corpse's abnormality after I plunder its lifespan.

[Ding, concealing the abnormality requires one month of lifespan. Confirm?]

Listening to the mechanical voice in his mind, Xiao Ling cursed inwardly before saying, "Confirm!"

"Plunder lifespan!"

As soon as Xiao Ling's words fell, Hemon, who was kneeling there and had just been about to beg for mercy, instantly widened his eyes.

Then his pupils began to lose focus. Before his death, he did not even manage to let out one final scream.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for plundering two years and three months of lifespan.]

[Remaining lifespan: twelve years.]

Xiao Ling: "???"

What was going on?

This lifespan didn't match what he had plundered before.

Shouldn't it have been five years?

What the hell was two years and three months?!

"System, get out here. Tell me honestly, did you skim some off the top this time?"

"Why did magic beasts of equal strength that I plundered before have five years of lifespan, while this guy, who's so damn robust, only has two years and three months?"

[Ding, magic beasts naturally have longer lifespans than humans, and this fellow's vitality, energy, and spirit are depleted.]

Fine, that actually left him speechless!

Forget it. Two years and three months it was—better than nothing.

With that thought, Xiao Ling stopped dwelling on it. He casually stored Hemon before him in his Storage Ring, intending to take him back to use as fertilizer for his fruit tree.

He then looked at the aloof young girl in his arms, who was staring at him in shock, as well as the mercenaries around them, who were equally stunned and awestruck. He could not help but smile slightly. "Let's go, Xin'er. I happen to be heading to the Magic Beast Mountain Range as well, so I'll drop you off on the way."

"Oh... then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Ling Xiao."

Qingxin quickly blushed and slipped out of the embrace she had been reluctant to leave.

She knew the gap between herself and him, so she did not dare hope for anything. She only wanted to stay by his side a little longer if she could.

"You silly girl, you already call me brother. Since when does a younger sister need to be polite with her older brother? Let's go."

As he spoke, Xiao Ling took her little hand like a friendly big brother next door and headed toward the small courtyard from his memories.

Seeing this, the surrounding mercenaries who had been watching gradually left in small groups, spreading word of everything they had witnessed that morning along the way.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ling, one of the main figures in the incident, was holding Qingxin's little hand when he suddenly stopped. Smiling at Kagang, who was hurrying toward them, he said, "Brother Kagang, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"

"Whew..."

Seeing that both of them were safe and sound, Kagang finally relaxed. Looking at the aloof young girl beside Xiao Ling, he said, "Qingxin, you're not allowed to go out alone again. It's not like you don't know about Hemon harassing you."

"This time, Brother Ling Xiao was there to help you out. You might not be so lucky next time."

At those words, a breathtaking smile appeared on Qingxin's aloof face.

"Brother Kagang, there's no need to worry. Hemon is thoroughly dead. There won't be a next time."

"What? He's dead?" Kagang's face was filled with shock.

After obtaining Brother Ling Xiao's permission, Qingxin briefly recounted what had happened. Kagang was left dumbfounded, standing frozen where he was.

After a long while, he finally came back to his senses, delight appearing on his face. Then, after some hesitation, he asked, "Brother Ling Xiao, are you planning to head to the Magic Beast Mountain Range this time? I happen to have a mission that needs a Dou Zhe of at least five stars. Would you be available?"